Pages

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Goose Girls To The Rescue!

“So I put all that coffee grounds in the teeny basket to
make one cup of coffee, boss? ‘Cause that’s how much coffee I use to make a
whole pot at home,” Moon Moon said uncertainly. Lex gave the stink-eye to his
new minion and silently mourned the loss of the twins. They may have been only
eight years old but even they could have figured out making espresso verses
making drip coffee by now. Why exactly had he told Marissa that he would keep
the shop open while she was away?

“This is not the correct grind for drip coffee, Moon
Moon. This was specially roasted and ground for espresso,” he said patiently.
He had learned that he didn’t need to hide his sarcasm—that flew right over
Moon Moon’s head. But he could not raise his voice to the silly wolf or he’d
have to spend at least ten minutes reassuring him that he didn’t think Moon
Moon was dumb and useless. In fact, the wolf was not useless. He quite possibly was the best non-Egyptian Lex had
ever found at seeing through deception. You couln’d lie to him, either
literally, or implied. Moon Moon was socially inept and overly naive,
but he wasn’t useless.

“And expresso is extra strong coffee in a teeny cup,
right?”

Ok, scratch that.
The lout was useless, at least as a barista.

“I have a better idea,” Lex said with a tight little
smile. “How about you go back to doing surveillance on the Hancock pack territory and I’ll bring in some nice pretty young girl to serve the coffee.”

“That’s a great idea, boss. You know, that Rosa chick is
lookin’ for work,” Moon Moon said as he began stripping off the Java Joe
monogrammed apron so fast he almost hanged himself with the neck loop. Lex
watched in amazement. He had thought that euphemism was a joke. He shook his head slowly as Moon Moon half
threw the apron at a hook in the back office—from the coffee bar, which was
more than thirty feet away—and ran out the door as if he thought Lex would
change his mind. Oh, and no way was he going to hire anyone called “the Poison
Puta” to work the counter. The idea was to keep Java Joe in business, not turn
the whole town off to drinking gourmet coffee.

A bell over the door rang and a gaggle of kids came
tumbling in. They weren’t really kids, of course. All five had been frequenting
the coffee shop since Marissa opened the door but if he remembered right, the Goslin
girls were now in college. They probably knew the menu better than he did—wait.

“Ladies,” Lex said with a charming smile as he watched
them fumble in pockets and back pack pockets for enough change for one drink
each.

“Oh, hi Lex,” Glinda Goslin said with a shy smile. ‘We
have enough today, we promise.”

“I was actually wondering if you would be interested in a…
mutually agreeable proposition.”

“Um…” Glinda said hesitantly.

“Mom said not to take you up on deals, Lex,” Georgette
Goslin said brashly. He noticed that she was half hiding behind Glinda, though,
so the brashness was probably due to the fact she had some cover. He was both a
god and a cat. They were nineteen-year-old quintuplets and goose shifters.

“Don’t you want to hear what the proposition is?” he
asked, eying the neat and clean but very worn clothes the girls were wearing.

“Ok,” Glinda squeaked nervously.

“I happen to be in need of some staff, preferably
someone who knows the difference between espresso grind and drip grind.”
That got their attention, fast.

“And maybe someone, or five someones, who know how to
make everything on the menu?” That query came from Geraldine. Lex smiled warmly
and half bowed to her.

“Indeed,” he said warmly. “And someone who would not
call anything served in this shop “expresso.”

“Ugh!” all five of them said at once. Lex nodded his
head in solemn commiseration. He didn’t really care what peopled called it but
he did know that that specific pronunciation annoyed coffee snobs to no end.

“And we mustn’t forget the coming holiday season. It wouldn’t
just be the wages you’d earn. It would also be the money you aren’t spending
for your daily coffees since the job includes one drink per shift,” Lex said
with a burst of insight. Gloria, their mother, worked hard to take care of her
five girls alone after losing their father in an unfortunate hunting accident
ten years ago, but the family wasn’t wealthy. Paying for five cups of coffee
daily had to bite into the family budget. He could tell by the almost
worshipful looks on all five girls’ faces that he had them hooked.

“But our homework…” Ginny said cautiously.

“I doubt with five of you to tend the coffee shop in the
evenings, anyone is going to run out of time to study. Besides, you always
study here anyway.”

“And me, Gemma and Gerry don’t have a class until
noon on Wednesday and Friday,” Glinda added. Lex grinned. Perfect. That would
leave him only having to cover about five hours a day, which wouldn’t cut into
his own plans much at all. With Moon Moon keeping an eye on the Hankocks and
Marissa out of state and unale to curtail his more njoyable pastimes, that left him plenty of time for his true
interest; screwing with that upstart Indian tiger, Ghan.

5 comments:

Oh, this is perfect. I love the goose girls already. And everyone knows geese have been used as temple guards and "watchdogs" since ancient times. Ain't nobody gonna cause trouble in the coffee shop with those girls on the job.

"Hunting accident," eh? Like the "hunting accident" experienced by Miss Elly's first husband?

Sadly, yes. He learned the hard way not to fly home from work durring hunting season. It was a big part of why Gloria Goslin decided to move to Talbot's Peak. A life insurance policy doesn't help if no one beleives your husband was shot by hunters...

Copyright Notice

**All written materials featured on this blog are protected under copyright. Any use of part or all of this material without the express written permission of the author is an infringement of personal creative property and subject to legal action**

Links

Facebook

Serena Shay

Pat Cunningham

Solara Gordon

Rebecca Gillan

The Mountain Lion King

Cougar shifter Rick Donnelly has his hands, and his arms, full protecting runaway tiger bride Nilambari. What happens when her vicious husband-to-be comes looking for her? AVAILABLE at *Smashwords Premium Catalog* & Amazon Kindle

Jessalina's Pets

Lady Jessalina buys a pair of "pets" at the slave market, and gets far more than she bargained for.

Tina's Treasures

The Submission

Two is better than one. Most would agree with that statement, but not full-blooded shifter LeAnn Turone. Accepting her need for multiple partners means facing a lifetime in a one-sided triad. Rick Taylor and Trent Warren each think they’ve found their mate in LeAnn until they also find themselves attracted to one another.Each member of this triad must free themselves from the fear of the future and submit to the greater power of love.

Catching The Hunter

An elfin huntlord and his lovely tracker attempt to catch an assassin who's been slipping through everyone's fingers, all while trying to keep their minds on the job and off each other.

Hot For Torrey

Can these star-crossed lovers reignite their passion?

Temptation and Tights

A superhero falls in love with his arch-nemesis. Holy doomed relationships! Available from Siren/Bookstrand

A Magical Return

Conleth “Cole” Douglas and Emterra “Irene” Azzurra, vessels to a magical race called the Others, are compelled to save their town from a dark evil. The question is—will they save their love as well?

Legacy

Two men--one human, one a vampire--and the woman who finds herself falling in love with them both.

Jet Lag Blues

Val‘s ultimate fantasy, a threesome with Darryl and Mason, is coming true. Sharing the one woman they deeply care for is a new experience for both. Neither Mason nor Darryl wants to jeopardize their long-term friendship. Can a frank discussion turn a burning hot threesome into a triad of love?

Belonging

Can a prostitute find happiness with the vampire he loves? Available in e-book and print.

Equal Partners

One ancient hunter on the trail of a murdurous elf. One human witch doctor who fails to see why his mission means they can't be together. One moronic assassin who isn't nearly as beautiful or smart as she thinks she is. Oh, and a chicken.

The Challenge

Marina Jamison is a mystery. As a half-breed shapeshifter, she lives on the fringe of were-jaguar society. Though her love for pride leader Bastian LaRue is forbidden, she finds herself tied to him by a bond stronger than their individual wills, a psychic link born from their one-night stand. When her secret is revealed, she is scorned and excluded. Neither Bastian nor the pride can accept a half-breed queen.

A London Werewolf in America

Can a hot werewolf with a British accent and a vegetarian witch find love while dodging assassins? Available in e-book and print.

Red Hot

It isn’t the flames or smoke that worry Fire Chief Brent Stephens. What worries him the most is the heat his libido keeps throwing off every time he gets near Bunny Kater. Bunny’s sworn off firemen, and intimacy—never mind that she’s worn out a vibrator or two along the way—that is, until she meets Brent.

Best of Breed

Adele has been masquerading as a dog. But can she hide her heart from the werewolf hunter?

Coyote Moon

Willy's half werewolf and not looking for a man. Cody's a coyote and on the prowl for a mate. Poor Willy doesn't stand a chance ...